The Confessional (film)

The Confessional (Le Confessionnal) is a 1995 mystery-drama film directed by Robert Lepage.

The film is set in Quebec City, in two distinct time periods. In the present day, Pierre Lamontagne (Lothaire Bluteau) searches for his estranged brother Marc (Patrick Goyette) to help unravel a family mystery. The mystery itself unfolds in flashbacks set against the backdrop of Alfred Hitchcock's 1952 filming of I Confess in the city.

The cast also includes Ron Burrage as Hitchcock, Kristin Scott Thomas as his assistant, and Jean-Louis Millette as Raymond Massicotte, Marc's lover who also holds the key to unlocking the Lamontagne family's secrets.

Plot
The Confessional is set in Quebec City in 1952, during the time Alfred Hitchcock was filming I Confess. The city is transitioning into the modern era due to the advent of television and its initial exposure to Hollywood. A character resembling Hitchcock is depicted during the local premiere of I Confess.

The story shifts between events in the early '50s and 1989. In 1989, Pierre Lamontagne returns to Quebec City from China for his father's funeral. He struggles to find his adopted brother, Marc. They eventually reunite in a gay sauna. The brothers embark on a quest to discover Marc’s biological father, initially believed to be a parish priest. Their mother, Rachel, after multiple visits to the confessional, gave birth to Marc and later took her own life.

The film often revisits the making of I Confess, centering on Hitchcock's assistant as she interacts with the local church and organizes auditions for Hitchcock. Various characters, such as a mysterious gentleman, play significant roles in the unfolding narrative.

Cast

 * Lothaire Bluteau as Pierre Lamontagne
 * Patrick Goyette as Marc Lamontagne
 * Jean-Louis Millette as Raymond Massicotte
 * Kristin Scott Thomas as Assistant to Hitchcock
 * Ron Burrage as Alfred Hitchcock
 * Richard Fréchette as André Lamontagne
 * François Papineau as Paul-Émile Lamontagne
 * Marie Gignac as Françoise Lamontagne
 * Normand Daneau as The Young Priest Massicotte
 * Anne-Marie Cadieux as Manon
 * Suzanne Clément as Rachel
 * Lynda Lepage-Beaulieu as Jeanne d'Arc
 * Pascal Rollin as The Parish Priest Laliberte
 * Billy Merasty as Moose
 * Paul Hébert as The Parish Priest (1989)

Awards and nominations
The film was selected as the Canadian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 68th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.

In 2001, an industry poll conducted by Playback named it the 13th best Canadian film of the preceding 15 years.